Post-War Survival
by middaw
Summary: Picks up after Katniss assassinates President Coin. Focuses on the relationship between Katniss and Haymitch. Rated M because there's likely to be mature content in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Katniss had known that when she had sentenced President Coin to death that her own death would shortly follow. After committing the deed, a tangle of arms had appeared from the crowd behind her, pulling her away violently in a desperate attempt to get her locked up before any more damage was done.

She was shown into one of the palace's storage rooms. It was cold and had an eerie air about it. Grand pieces of furniture and art, untouched and unseen for years mirrored Katniss' stillness.

She was there for three days.

Three days laid on a hard, wooden bench staring at the ceiling. Three days of non-movement. Three days refusing to eat. Three days trying to muster the courage to use the suicide pill hidden in her clothes.

Finally, the time had come.

Her decision for action made, Katniss slowly sat up with her back learning heavily against a stone pillar in order to save herself from falling back down in weakness. One by one, she said a silent goodbye to those close to her. To those she had failed.

Peeta, still maniacal with hate after the Capitol's torture.

Gale, savaged by a mutt in their battle to get to the palace.

Her mother who would now have two daughters to grieve. Would she ever recover?

Prim…

Katniss could not bear it any longer. The pain she had held a bay in her catatonic state started to leak through. She knew that the leak would soon become an unstoppable flood.

With determination, Katiniss grabbed the pill, close her eyes and took a deep breath. She moved the pill swiftly towards her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

A rough hand grabbed Katniss' arm violently. Her eyes snapped open to meet with Haymitch's wild blue eyes. Neither said a word. Silently they struggled against each other. Haymitch squeezed Katniss' wrist knowing she would not release her grip of the pill and willing to break her arm to make it happen. Katniss' determination was strong and she fought against him. The lack of food and recent emotional toll had, however, had their effects and Katniss came to realise she would lose the battle.

Angrily, she stopped struggling. She relinquished the pill and they both listened to the click-click-clacking of it dropping onto the floor. Neither broke their locked gaze to watch it fall.

A few moments passed. Haymitch was the first to look away. He sighed heavily and slumped onto the bench beside her. She was not in the mood to explain herself. Besides, if anybody could understand, it was Haymitch. Katniss sat with her arms folded glaring at him.

Haymitch came to the conclusion that there was nothing he could say appropriate for the situation in which he found himself. He cleared his throat.

"Plutarch sent me here with this letter." He studied Katniss' face for a reaction. She turned away. "Don't suppose you're in any mood to read it. I'll give you the highlights."

"Your mother's in District 4 working as part of the medical effort there. And they've put Peeta in a facility where he's going to get help."

Katniss scoffed. She knew that Peeta was beyond help.

He continued. "Plutarch sends his apologies. There's going to be a vote on who becomes the next _glorious_ leader of Panem and he can't be seen with you. He _has_ done you a deal, though."

"How good of him," spat Katniss.

"You're to go back to District 12. To Victor's Village. You're to keep quiet and keep out of trouble. And when the time comes, Plutarch will pardon you."

There was silence whilst Katniss considered the implications.

Her days to be spent in a sprawling house filled with constant reminders of Prim's absence. Outside of Victor's Village, only the remains of a district that once existed. All bodies and rubble and ghosts of what there once was. There was nothing there for her but grief. She started shouting in defiance.

"I don't know who the hell Plutarch thinks he is, but if he thinks I'm going back to 12, he'll have to drag me on the train himself." Katniss stood up and started to gesture violently.

"And I'll fight him every step, he'll have to…"

Haymitch knew that the walls had ears. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close.

"Sweetheart, I don't think you comprehend he gravity of your situation here." His voice was low and he spoke through gritted teeth. "It's taken Plutarch three days to convince them not to execute you. You killed the god-damn president. What did you think would happen? Did you think you could just go merrily on your way?"

"I didn't ask for…" Katniss interjected.

"No-one," he said. "No-one asked for any of this. Get a grip and look around you, girl. This may be a new world that we're living in. You're familiar with the rules, though. You play the game to survive. Do you understand?"

Katniss' eyes darted along the floor instinctively seeking the pill.

Grabbing her shoulder, he shook her hard. "Do you understand me? You can't give up or they've won."

Having located the pill, Katniss' eyes snapped back to Haymitch. She needed to distract him.

"What would be the point in surviving? To live your lonely life of self-loathing? Should I drink the days away if that's what it takes to survive? What is the point? Why do you get to live when better than you don't?"

Her words hurt Haymitch, not least because could see her point and so was unable to answer. Outwardly unreactive, he calmly moved off the bench and towards the pill.

"For once in your life, just do as I god-damn tell you."

He stamped on the pill and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. With his back to it, he slid down and listened to Katniss' sobs. His shaking hands fumbled urgently for his hip-flask. 


	3. Chapter 3

It had been touch and go whether Haymitch would get Katniss on the train. After much inducement cajolery and downright force, he prevailed and now they were both sat in their carriage pretending to ignore one another.

Haymitch was concentrating most of his efforts on trying to ignore the pull to get drop-dead drunk, drinking only enough alcohol to numb his feelings but not dull his senses. Although he knew he was not up to the task, he knew instinctively that Katniss needed him. He had to keep his wits about him because there was no way of knowing how she would act from one second to the next. Haymitch was trying his best to help but despised the responsibility he felt towards her. It usually took all of his energy to keep himself from falling apart, never mind somebody else. He was terrified he would fail. He was afraid she would become another in the long line of tributes he could not prevent from being lost. Haymitch watched her movements surreptitiously, expecting her to fall to pieces at any moment.

His watchful demeanour had not gone unnoticed by Katniss. Having considered her relationship with Haymitch to be a trying one, it sickened her to realise how much she needed him with her. She knew he was holding her back from the edge and felt ashamed and confused about needing so much just his presence alone. It was a new feeling to her; it was usually others who were depending on her. As they drew closer to District 12, Katniss became concerned that her constant striving to push him away had been successful. She worried that Haymitch would abandon her and make his way back to the Capitol. Despite not wanting to seem like she cared, she had to ask.

"Are you staying in 12, Haymitch?" Her voice was calm enough, but her eyes betrayed her distress.

Haymitch leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs on the table between them in an attempt to seem relaxed.

"Where the hell else am I going to go?" He paused. "Why do you ask anyway? Is that going to be a problem for your Majesty?" Haymitch fully expected another tirade about how he should leave her alone and stay out of it.

"Just wondering, that's all," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

Sensing her change in mood, Haymitch softened his tone. "I've got to stick around anyway because _someone_ can't be trusted to not cause any more trouble."

Katniss did not respond. She wrapped a blanket tightly around herself and closed her eyes to hide the relief. She fell asleep for the first time in days.


	4. Chapter 4

As they watched the train carry on its journey without them, Katniss felt some relief. It felt like it was carrying away some of her pain away with it. Setting foot on home ground had settled her somewhat and now the Capitol felt like a different world. Picking up their bags, they began their walk to Victor's Village.

"So, your place or mine?" enquired Haymitch.

Katniss did not ask why they could not live in their own separate houses. She did not want to be alone and was glad that Haymitch had not put her through the humiliation of having to ask him to stick around. She seized the option to avoid the painful memories that lay waiting in her own home.

"Yours," she said determinedly.

"Alright-y then."

They continued the rest of their journey in complete silence. When they reached the wall surrounding Victor's Village, Katniss came to a stand-still. She stood frozen, afraid of what memories might be triggered upon entering. Things she had been blocking out started racing through her mind. Haymitch carried on without missing her walking beside him for a few metres. When he noticed her absence, he turned around and outstretched his arm.

"C'mon. I need to get in and have a drink. There ain't nothing in here that can hurt you." Haymitch's voice barely masked the impatience that was welling up inside him. He felt like his quota of caring had already been used up. His own issues were dangerously frothing to the surface and he was desperate to drown them away. Haymitch cursed his decision not to drink to his usual excess on the train.

"Katniss," he hissed. "Don't have a god-damn breakdown here, wait 'til we get inside." There was no reaction.

"Move, god-damn it."

Haymitch recognised he was being harsh. He knew it, but could not stop himself. He knew he should gently persuade her and talk her around, but he did not have that much of himself to give.

"Now," he shouted.

Haymitch suddenly registered the glazed look in her eyes, she seemed almost unconscious.

"Katniss, can you hear me?

He dropped his bags and moved tentatively over to her. He clicked his fingers and waved his hands in front of her, but her eyes remained vacant. He stood for a while trying to figure out what to do. There would be no medical help within the vicinity and he would not be able to leave her to seek any sort of help anyway. Abandoning their bags, he hoisted her over his shoulder and carried her to his house.


	5. Chapter 5

Haymitch's house was freezing having not been occupied in so long. He laid Katniss on the sofa and ran upstairs to retrieve his quilt. Unceremoniously, he threw it over her and stalked to the kitchen in search of a drink. His hands were shaking and the vodka bottle clinked noisily against the glass into which he was trying to pour himself a double. He gave up and swigged out of the bottle itself instead, sighing in relief as he felt the liquid burn inside his chest. Bottle in hand, he seated himself on a chair opposite Katniss and stared intently. Now that he could think, Haymitch came to the conclusion that he could do nothing but wait anyway. He assumed that she was in some kind of delayed shock, but did not know how a person was meant to act in these circumstances.

Unsure whether Katniss could actually hear him, he gruffly told her to go to sleep. If nothing else, it would stop him having to look at her unnervingly absent eyes. The message did not seem to get through. He wanted to light a fire, but would need to leave her in order to get some logs from outside. Instead, he spied the wooden crates in which his bulk orders of alcohol were delivered. Watching Katniss like a hawk, he smashed one of the crates violently against the wall in order to break it up for firewood. Even that noise did not register with her and Haymitch became even more anxious. What if this was it and Katniss never returned?

With the fire lit, he moved towards Katniss. He lifted her out of the way, sat down, and lay her back down so that her head was resting on his leg. Absentmindedly he stroked her hair with one hand whilst swinging his bottle slowly over the arm of the sofa with the other. Eventually, sleep captured both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

Katniss was the first to wake up. She opened her eyes and panicked to find herself in a foreign room. She took a deep breath and urged herself to stay still and keep calm whilst she took stock of her surroundings. She stared hard at the scene in front of her in order to pinpoint why it seemed vaguely familiar. In her eye-line were the ashes from a log fire, a shabby high-backed armchair and a table strewn with rubbish. A thick layer of dust covered everything and there were empty glass bottles everywhere she looked; Haymitch's place. Everything clicked into place. The events from the day before came rushing back to her. She remembered getting to the outskirts of Victor's Village and nothing else. She assumed she must have passed out.

Having established she was safe, Katniss stretched her muscles to get rid of their stiffness. She pushed her head back in order to stretch her neck and realised it was pressing against something solid rather than a cushion. She suddenly registered the sound of Haymitch's breathing and realised that her head was resting on his leg. She sat up quickly, not liking how vulnerable this made her feel and moved away to the furthest edge of the sofa. She leaned against the back of the sofa arm and rested her chin on her knees to watch him sleep. He looked even rougher than usual. The lines on his face had become deeper recently and his habitual stubble could almost be called a beard at this point. His hair was lank and stuck greasily to his head. She wondered when he had last washed, then let out a small snort as she realised she was in no position to judge.

Haymitch began muttering agitatedly in his sleep. Katniss strained to make out what he was saying, but could make no sense of it. She could see his eyes flickering about rapidly beneath their lids and noticed that his legs and arms were twitching. It was evident he was having a nightmare. Katniss sympathised, she had nightmares too. She outstretched her arm to wake him gently and put him out of his misery but remembered Greasy Sae telling her that you should never wake someone who was dreaming. Or was it sleep-walking? Katniss was deep in thought, trying to remember what Sae had told her when Haymitch leapt to his feet.

"Katniss, no!" he yelled, making her jump out of her skin. His arms swung punches at invisible enemies.

She quickly rose from the sofa and, with practiced efficiency, ducked his fists so that she could get close to him.

"Haymitch! It's just a nightmare!"

He continued his battle. Katniss grabbed one of his fists and stopped it in its tracks. She dodged the other as his knee made contact with her stomach.

"Haymitch! Wake up!"

She wrestled him to the ground using her weight to hold him down by sitting on his chest and pinning his arms above his head. Still, he struggled against her and did not snap out of his dream.

"Wake up!" Katniss screamed inches from his face.

When nothing seemed to be working, Katniss spied the half-full vodka bottle near the sofa. Letting go of one of his arms, she snatched the bottle and poured the contents onto his face. He woke up coughing and spluttering.

"What in God's name…?" he shouted.

Still weighing him down, Katniss collapsed against him in relief and panted from the exertion. Haymitch was in a state of utter confusion and it took him a few seconds to separate his dream from reality. He closed his arms around Katniss and held her tight in contrition until her breathing was steady. After a few moments, she tried to get up so he released his grip. A wince escaped her because of the pain in her stomach from where he had kneed her.

"It's nothing," she said quickly, seeing Haymitch's face.

"Don't tell me it's nothing. Seriously, what did I do to you?" Haymitch demanded.

"You accidentally kneed me in the stomach whilst you were sleeping, that's all. Don't make this into some big thing you can beat yourself up about. I'm fine."

"This wasn't me just turning in my sleep. You had to use god-damn force to stop me. You can't minimise this, Sweetheart." He paused. "I think you'd better go live in your place, I'm not safe for you to be around."

Katniss laughed. "I can look after myself, thanks. Anyway, I'd have dodged your knee if you hadn't been trying to punch me at the same time."

"This isn't funny, darling. You're sounding like some beat-up housewife defending her dirtbag husband. It's not right. And I beg to differ you can look after yourself. You shut down yesterday; how do you think you winded up here?"

"Well, if I can't look after myself, I'd better stay here," Katniss said obstinately. "Whatever you say, I'm not going so you'll just have to suck it up."

Haymitch knew there was no talking Katniss around when she had decided to do something so he acquiesced.

"Fine. Do what you want."

Haymitch made a mental note to fit his bedroom door with a lock so he could imprison himself away from her when sleeping. It was the first time he had become violent in his sleep although his nightmares had previously been vivid and he wondered what had caused it. Try as he might, he could no longer remember what his nightmare was about. He hoped it would not recur.


	7. Chapter 7

Neither knew how to pass the rest of the day so they spent most of it in an awkward silence. Usually, Haymitch would have drunken himself into a stupor and Katniss would have gone out hunting, but times had changed.

Katniss decided to explore the house; it did not take long. There was nothing pretty about it, everything had its utility and that was it. Anything of value had probably been sold for drinking money, she mused. Nevertheless, there was something about the spartan nature of the house that appealed to her. It reflected Haymitch's personality, cutting out the superfluous and getting to the point.

She heard a banging come from Haymitch's bedroom. Intrigued, she followed the noise and found Haymitch hammering a lock onto the door.

"Are you trying to lock yourself in or lock me out?" she asked, not really sure what she meant by her question. He did not reply so she changed the subject.

"Where is my stuff? I want to get changed."

Haymitch sighed noisily. "Our bags are up by the gates. I had to leave either them or you behind." He paused. "It was a difficult decision; I'm starting to think I should have picked the bags."

Katniss was deadpan "You're just too funny; my sides are splitting. Well, I'll go and get them, I suppose."

"Want me to go with you?" She could hear the unwillingness to accompany her in his voice and hated that he felt obliged to offer.

"Think I can handle a walk to the gates and back, thank you. See you in a minute," she called as walked away.

She walked out through the front door with purpose, her legs automatically marching her in the direction of the gates. She could see the bags on the floor where they had been dropped and tried to focus on them. Her own house was calling her though and eventually she stopped to turn and look at it. It had not changed at all since she had been there last and retrieved Buttercup. It has felt haunting then with its emptiness, but she knew it would be even worse now that there was no possibility whatsoever of its former inhabitants returning. She forced herself to stop staring and once again moved towards the bags.

Meanwhile, Haymitch continued fitting the lock. He cursed himself for not insisting on retrieving their luggage himself. It was only yesterday she had become stupefied by the entrance to Victor's Village and now here he was, advocating that she should return by herself. Nervousness grew in the pit of his stomach. He decided if she had not returned by the time he had installed the lock, he would go looking for her. Haymitch carried on with his task, greatly exaggerating the noise needed so that the house did not seem so silent.


	8. Chapter 8

The lock was more difficult to fit than Haymitch had anticipated and he ended up having to search for the correct tools. In an effort to quell his worry, he became totally engrossed in the job. It only seemed like a minute later that he glanced at the clock only for his stomach to flip. It had been half an hour since Katniss had left and she had still not returned. The gates were five minutes away at the most. He scrambled to the top floor and looked towards the direction of the gates expecting to see her at a stand-still. She was not there. With increasing franticness, he ran from room to room looking in each direction, praying he would catch a glimpse of her. He saw nothing.

"Shit," he muttered beneath his breath as he tore down the stairs three at a time. He smashed open the front door and ran in the direction of the gates. Their bags were still there. He back-tracked and ran towards her house thinking she might be there. The outside looked undisturbed and when Haymitch inspected the doors closely, he found unbroken cobwebs; she was not inside. Unable to think where else she might be, Haymitch started shouting her name. There was no reply. He started searching the ground for tracks, for any clue that might let him know where she had gone.

He found some scrapes in the stones outside Katniss' house. They could mean nothing or they could mean there had been a struggle. Fearing the worst, Haymitch backtracked to his own house and retrieved a knife from the kitchen.


	9. Chapter 9

Katniss had not noticed the rustles in the bushes behind her house. She had been so consumed by the memories it evoked that her usual guardedness had fallen. It was only when she had turned and started moving back towards the gates that the hairs on her arms started prickling. Something was wrong, she realised a second too late. A body knocked her to the ground whilst she felt someone else plunge a needle into her neck. She opened her mouth to scream, but whatever was in the needle was quick. She fell into unconsciousness instead.

It was dark when the drugs started to wear off. Katniss was unable to open her eyes, but she could feel the hard ground upon which she was lying and sense the heat from a nearby campfire. There were voices. Muffled at first, but they grew clearer as Katniss regained consciousness.

"I tell you, this'll be the last rabbit we eat. We'll dine like kings from now on," a voice chuckled.

"Don't count your chickens yet. What with communications being down, we'll have a hell of time getting this one to the Capitol."

Katniss kept her eyes closed hoping that the men would carry on their conversation and she could learn something. Were they talking about her? Why would they want to get her to the Capitol?

The second voice continued "I haven't seen half as much aircraft nor trains coming from there so we must be struggling. Still, now we've got the Mockingjay, this'll be over soon. We can get back to the way things should be and President Snow'll make them pay."

Snow? Katniss wondered how long these people had been without communication. They must not know that Snow was dead, that the Districts had won.

"I've got to give it to him. I thought it was a waste a time him stationing us here just in case she came back. I should never have doubted him. Smartest man that ever did walk."

"Yeah," agreed the first voice. "And she's the stupidest bitch ever for coming back here," he scoffed.

Katniss heard the man getting to his feet and walking towards her. He nudged her with his boot and hoping to convince them that she was still unconscious, she fell backwards onto her back having been on her side facing them.

"Still out cold," he said. "Don't think Snow would mind if we had some fun with her, would he?"

"Can't see why he would. We've got nothing else to do 'til daylight anyway. Wait 'til she's awake, though. It's no fun without the struggle."

Katniss' blood froze. Her arms were bound behind her back and her legs tied together. There was no way she would be able to fight them off. The ground beneath her was stony. She urgently started to rub the ropes that tied her wrists against one of the stones in the hope that she could break through. Deep down she knew that the stone would not be sharp enough and that the men would notice what she was doing. She had no choice though because they would soon start wondering why the drugs had not worn off. It was not in Katniss' nature to give up.


	10. Chapter 10

Eventually, Haymitch found some tracks that started by the bushes behind Katniss' house. It looked like there had been two people, men judging by the prints. It did not take long for him to catch up. He hauled himself up into a nearby tree and watched as they collected firewood to make camp. He judged them to be soldiers by their clothes, some sort of special force. He could tell they were professionals by the way they carried themselves. One kept watch behind the other despite the likelihood of anybody being around being infinitesimal. He suddenly realised that they could be watching out for him. If they had taken Katniss, surely they knew he was around too.

Silently he followed them back towards an old cottage that had been derelict for years. Two of the walls had fallen in, but the two remaining provided shelter from the wind. He crept slowly towards the building and saw Katniss unconscious, but breathing, inside. Relief mixed with anger overwhelmed him. He could see no obvious injuries and deduced that she had been drugged. He made some quick calculations and concluded there was no way he would be able to take out these two men by daylight. He needed the advantage that darkness would provide. By then, Katniss might be awake too. If they needed to make a quick escape, it would be easier if he did not have to carry her. He retreated to a spot nearby where he could not be seen and watched, waiting for the sun to go down.


	11. Chapter 11

When darkness fell, Haymitch crawled through the grass on his stomach towards the cottage. His clothes, face and hair were camouflaged with mud. He waited beneath what had once been a window and slowly moved his head upward so that he could catch a glimpse of the layout. Katniss lay on her side, still not moving. There was no sign that the men were setting up to sleep yet. He knew they were too smart to both sleep at the same time, but he was hoping that one would go to sleep whilst the other took watch. He would take the latter out silently and work from there. He sat and monitored the situation, awaiting his chance.

" _Wait 'til she's awake, though. It's no fun without the struggle."_

Haymitch felt physically sick. He wanted nothing more than to get Katniss away from them at that very second. He forced himself not to react and tried to control the adrenaline pumping through his body. He found himself glad that Katniss was unconscious so she did not have to hear them. The men carried on chit-chatting about nothing of consequence. Haymitch raised his head and peered into the cottage. The two men were sat by the campfire eating their meals. He glanced at Katniss. She was now lying on her back and he could see her moving almost imperceptively. It was her shoulders moving rhythmically and he realised that she must be trying to break free of the rope that was holding her arms together. He marvelled at her cool-headedness to feign unconsciousness, then realised that she must have heard everything then men had been saying and be terrified.

One of the men stood up to get himself a drink from the kettle that was boiling above the fire. Haymitch ducked down quickly in order to remain unseen. He wanted to let Katniss know that he was near, that she was not alone and he would get her through this. He pursed his lips to signal with a whistle that would not seem too out of place amongst the woodland birds, but one he knew Katniss would recognise as being an ally's broadcast. Just as he was about to let out the sound, he noticed how unnaturally quiet it had become. There was no more scraping of cutlery or chatter from the men.

He looked inside the cottage once more. He could not see both men, only one. He was knelt beside Katniss, stroking her face. Haymitch shot up and manoeuvred quickly through the hole in the wall. Whilst doing so, he saw Katniss open her eyes and head-butt the man in the face, making him stagger backwards. He raised his fist in fury as Katniss tried to trip him up with her bound legs. Haymitch ran towards him and tackled him to the ground. He punched him hard in the head and continued even when the man had blacked out.

"Haymitch!" Katniss cried.

"Haymitch, he's done. Untie me before the other one gets back."

Haymitch looked over as if surprised to see her there. He moved to her swiftly and cut the ropes with his knife.

"Are you okay?" he asked with a shaking hand on her shoulder.

Katniss did not reply. She grabbed some rope from one of the men's bags, tied the man up and removed the knife he was carrying on his belt.

"The other one had gone to the toilet; there's no way he didn't hear all this." She threw the kettle water over the fire and stamped it out so they were in complete darkness.

"He's near," she whispered.


	12. Chapter 12

Haymitch blinked and tried to focus his eyes so that they could see in the pitch black. He moved his arm in Katniss' direction to gesture that they needed to move out of the cottage, but his hand touched thin air. He cursed silently to himself. Holding the knife in front of him, he slowly moved forward. His eyes snapped to the right where he heard some rustling. They snapped to the left from where it sounded like a twig had been broken. Noises were emanating from every direction as he stabbed into nothingness not being able to discern what was making the noises. Knowing he had to calm down, Haymitch stood for a moment and took a deep breath. When ready to start moving again, he put his foot forward to take a step only for it to make a massive clang against a saucepan that lay on the floor.

"Fu…" he started to swear in shock, but the noise was cut off by cloth being bound forcefully around his mouth. The man behind him was strong and had pulled Haymitch's head towards his chest. Instinctively, Haymitch swung his knife above his head and thrust it towards the body behind him; it did not make contact. His knees were kicked from behind knocking him off balance whilst a hand grabbed his wrist tightly and slammed his arm against the floor. Haymitch lost grip of the knife at the same time the material across his face came undone.

"Run, Katniss!" he yelled.

A heavy boot smashed into his face knocking him out.


	13. Chapter 13

Katniss seized her opportunity. She had stealthily grabbed Haymitch's knife when it was dropped in the struggle and now planned to use it. The soldier was distracted in his battle to subdue Haymitch and she willed herself to move as slowly as possible towards him so that he did not sense her movement. It took an enormous amount of determination not to run towards Haymitch and stop the aggressor from hurting him. She knew that he could look after himself but Katniss was absolutely terrified that the soldier would achieve some harm that could not be undone. When his boot made contact with Haymitch's face, she lunged forward from where she was stood behind him and slit the soldier's throat without hesitation.

She shoved him out of the way and tried to ignore the noise of his dying. The gurgling sounds pierced through her but Katniss quickly tamped down the overwhelming feelings of guilt and nausea; Haymitch needed her attention.

She knelt down and examined the damage to his face. An ugly bruise had already begun to blossom and blood was trickling from a large gash below his eye-socket. It looked serious but Katniss had seen people suffer worse and live to tell the tale. She reached out and moved the bloodied pieces of hair out of the way of the wound on his cheek. The bottom of the soldier's boot had left a maze-like pattern of indentations and she began to gently stroke his face. Feeling as if she was in a trance, her fingers traced the markings.

After a while, bitter experience survival instincts started chiming in the back of her head. Katniss realised that she needed to take some action. She felt too vulnerable in this situation and needed to _do_ something. However, the only thing she could do was wait for Haymitch to wake up; there was no way she would able to get him back to Victor's Village whilst he was unconscious. She compelled herself to be practical and move away from him. First job: light a fire. Second job: drag the soldier's body out of sight.

She heaved herself to her feet and got to work.


End file.
